Lighting Question

[a&m aggie 04']

Im eventually going to get Ice Cap Ballast with either 3 110W VHO's or 4 110W VHO's. I have a 55 Gallon 48" long. My question is, i want to be able to have whatever i want in my tank so would the 3 lights be okay or would i need 4????

 

[joe's reefer]

3 sound good but for wont hurt.and u cant have whatever u want because some corals and fish dont live together in harmony.corals hjave different aggressiveness levels and will even eat each other.and fish will eat certain corals too...a peice of advice dont buy anything till u read up on it u can know about soft corals in general but all soft corals have certain needs that need to be meet like placement,lighting,spacing,tankmates and current also food wow that was alot didnt mean to lecture u so that should help and good luck with the lighting

 

[a&m aggie 04']

i understand that i cannot have everything b/c of the aggresiveness of certain fish and their eating of corals. I was just talking about the lighting meeting the requirements of most everything.

 

[wolffam]

The three light setup would work. Suggest 2-03 blue actinic and 1-white actinic. But for the cost of an additional lamp & end caps, I'd go ahead and use the 4 light setup anyway. Add another white actinic. This will give you plenty of light. HTH

 

[jim672]

A&M,
I'm not an expert on lighting. Everything I've read though would lead me to believe that the lighting you've described would fall in the "medium" range. 3 110W VHO's in your tank would be 6 watts per gallon; the 4 110w setup would be 8 watts per gallon. This would be okay for many corals but there are lots that require high lighting levels. Clams would also not do well with the lighting you're thinking about.
Jim

 

[a&m aggie 04']

Thanks everyone,
I'll probably get the 4 VHO setup.